YouTube has announced a new set of updates aimed at improving the platform experience for teenagers while giving parents more granular control over how their children use the service. The changes focus on digital wellbeing tools, content quality standards, and simplified account management for family setups.
According to YouTube, the updates are part of its broader effort to create a safer and more age-appropriate environment for teen users without limiting access to educational and meaningful content.
One of the most notable additions targets YouTube Shorts, the platform’s short-form video feed. YouTube is introducing what it describes as an industry-first parental control that allows families to manage how teens engage with Shorts.
Parents can now set scroll time limits for Shorts, ranging from 0 to 2 hours. The controls also include a “zero” option, which effectively disables access to Shorts for selected time periods. This allows parents to block Shorts during study hours or bedtime while keeping it available during free time.
In addition, supervised teen accounts now support custom Bedtime and Take a Break reminders, expanding on YouTube’s existing wellbeing prompts. These reminders can be tailored based on daily routines to encourage healthier screen habits.
YouTube is also rolling out a new framework designed to improve the quality of content recommended to teenage viewers. The initiative introduces a clearer definition of what the platform considers high-quality versus low-quality content for this age group.
The guidelines were developed in collaboration with YouTube’s Youth Advisory Committee, the Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA, and with input from organizations such as the American Psychological Association and Boston Children’s Hospital’s Digital Wellness Lab.
To support this shift, YouTube plans to release a creator guide that explains how content creators can better serve teen audiences. At the algorithm level, these principles will be integrated into recommendations, increasing visibility for educational and informative content from sources like Khan Academy, CrashCourse, and TED-Ed, while reducing exposure to low-value material.
The final set of updates focuses on making family account management more straightforward. YouTube is introducing a simplified sign-up process for child and teen accounts to reduce setup complexity.
In the coming weeks, the mobile app will also gain improved profile-switching functionality, allowing parents to easily move between accounts. This aims to prevent teens from accidentally using adult profiles and ensures the correct content settings and recommendations are consistently applied.
